#louyd

“Hm. New job,” Louie said, scanning an email that had just popped up as he was getting ready to shut down his work computer for the day.

“Ooh, what is it?” Boyd asked, leaning over Louie with an arm resting on the shorter man's shoulder.

“Looks like this guy wants the elite package. He wants us to test for security breaches, apparently he believes someone in his inner circle is trying to overthrow him. Typical paranoid rich guy stuff.”

Boyd stopped himself right before he pointed out that Louie was a typical paranoid rich guy.

“So he wants us to attend some fancy party he's throwing, going undercover as guests while we install the security program. That way we can keep an eye out for any malefactors, his word, not mine.”

“Are you going to put together a team?” Boyd asked eagerly.

“You're all the team I need,” Louie said, shutting his work computer and turning his attention to his personal computer.

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“Ooh, new job,” Sara said, glancing at an email that popped up on her phone as they were eating dinner. “Do you want to come?”

“Hm.” Hunter was not 100% sold.

“It's a rich person party, so the pay is good, and the food should be even better,” Sara said, which was more enticing.

“Can I vandalize?”

Sara thought a moment before nodding. “Just don't get caught.”

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Louie was nothing if not thorough. This was not the first party he'd infiltrated; it wasn't even the third. He'd had lots and lots of practice.

Of course, it wasn't exactly infiltration, since the job came with an invitation. But it was pivotal that the inner circle believed he was supposed to be there without raising suspicion about his ulterior motives.

So he studied them, meticulously. He quizzed himself and Boyd on everyone on the guest list and staff.

By the day of the party, he'd memorized every name and face that would be in attendance. If the job was going to go off without a hitch, there could be no surprises.

Boyd thought that Louie got a little obsessive and controlling when they had a job like this, but as partners in business and life, he was along for the ride.

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Hunter was along for the ride, dressed in all black save for a few pearl accents. She even had a little black clutch where she'd stashed her sharpies.

Sara was dressed more vibrantly in a knee-length pink and purple floral gown that flared out when she spun. She was immediately the most eye-catching person at the party, which of course made it easy for her to instigate a dance floor.

Hunter watched Sara do her work for a moment, taking pride in Sara's ability to socialize and network so easily.

Then she slipped away to get down to business herself.

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Louie was immediately on high alert. He'd done painstaking research on everyone who would be at the party; it was impossible that he'd missed two.

Unless they were infiltrators.

It was a classic scenario, a flashy distraction, and a subdued counterpart who slipped away to take care of business. Louie had planned on having Boyd slip away to install the security measures while he schmoozed with party guests.

Seeing the lady in black slip away from the party set off alarm bells and made him change plans on a dime.

He pulled his boyfriend aside, speaking in a low voice.

“Alright, Boyd, you talk to guests, try to gain some intel on everyone, especially the lady in the floral dress. I'll install the security measures and figure out what the lady in black is up to.”

Boyd really thought Louie was being paranoid, but he agreed to Louie's new plan, making his way into the middle of the party.

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Sara was chatting the ear off of an older gentleman when Boyd came over and joined the dance. It was clear that he was a little stiff, but Sara appreciated anyone who was willing to try.

A few minutes later, she got to make his acquaintance. It was immediately clear that he wasn’t one of the stuffy, opinionated rich people who frequented these kinds of parties. So she quickly guessed that he was also paid to be here.

“I’m Sara Pena, of SaraPenaPartyForHire. Here’s my business card.”

“Oh, uh, Boyd. Of Boyd and Louie Incorporated, but we call it Blinc. Louie has the business cards.”

“I’ll have to get one later,” Sara said, maintaining a dazzling smile and a pretty elaborate dance routine.

“What exactly do you do at SaraPenaPartyForHire?”

“Oh, this,” Sara said, spreading out her arms to gesture at the exciting atmosphere she’d created. “People hire me to start the dance floor at parties so that other people don’t feel awkward or unwelcome.”

Boyd nodded. It wasn’t something he’d heard of before, but rich people and rich people parties could be weird. When Louie had been going over the staff list, there’d been someone whose job was to make ice sculptures. Who needed a full-time ice sculpture guy? Money was baffling.

He stepped briefly out of Sara’s orbit to text Louie that it was a false alarm, explaining that Sara had been hired to liven up the party.

Then he went back to doing the robot with his new friend.

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Louie glanced down at his phone, seeing the preview of a text from Boyd. It stated that Sara had been hired, which made perfect sense. Of course this girl and her mysterious accomplice were contractors. Any of his client’s competitors could have hired them to gather intel or sow distrust.

Now he was even more on edge. He had to track down the lady in black before something bad, or worse, something billable, happened.

Fortunately, though she dressed to blend in with the shadows, it wasn’t too hard to find the lady in black. She’d ditched the party entirely, finding a secluded hallway to do her dirty work.

Louie took in the writing on the wall, trying to parse out if it was some kind of code. Perhaps she was leaving a message for one of the competitors?

Then she looked up, looking more annoyed than panicked, and capped her sharpie.

“Shit. Sara told me not to get caught. I wasn’t here.” She got up to leave, but Louie grabbed her by the arm, staring at the writing once more.

All at once, it came into focus.

“This is just graffiti, isn’t it?”

The woman pointed at one of the markings on the wall, “Duh.”

“Why are you here?” Louie demanded.

“My wife is working the party.”

“No, I’m working the party.”

“I doubt you do what Sara does. Let go of my arm.”

Louie dropped her arm and checked his text again, reading the whole thing and feeling pretty stupid.

When he looked back up, the stranger was gone, leaving some stupid scribbles behind.

“I don’t think this is billable,” Louie said with a sigh, before leaving to do his actual job.

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By the time Louie made it back to the party, tail between his legs, Boyd was chatting happily with Sara and Hunter.

“Lou, come meet Sara and Hunter!”

Hunter gave him a look, trying to decide whether or not he was a snitch.

Louie was not a snitch.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hunter said coolly.

“Sara wanted one of our business cards,” Boyd said.

“And I have an extra one for you,” Sara said, passing over an extra card for Louie, since he would be more likely to hold onto it than Boyd, who stored most information in the cloud.

“Thank you. We’ll have to see about getting you for our next party,” Louie said, shooting Hunter a look that said if she vandalized his home, she would pay for it.

Hunter nodded, satisfied that she wasn’t going to be turned in for her crimes of the evening. Louie might be a little paranoid, but he might be fun to party with. At least more fun than the rich people at this party.

Louie was still on the fence about Sara and Hunter, though Boyd was thoroughly charmed. But he couldn’t slip up now and reveal how much they’d shaken him. He still had a job to do and a long night ahead of him. It was nice, at least, to have some people to talk to when he needed a break from snooping.